How to get the mime type of a file from the command line?

Use file --mime-type -b filename

Look at file --help for more tips.

The great answer on this page can be put in a function or script like so:

Example

$ mime_type.sh /etc/passwd  
text/plain

mime_type.sh

function mime_type()
{
  file --mime-type -b $*
}

mime_type $*